Josh McCown's preseason ends with 10 plays

NEW ORLEANS -- I walked out of the Dolphins locker room and across the Superdome Stadium field with quarterback Josh McCown this evening.

That hundred-yard walk was McCown's longest stint on a pro stadium playing field since the first preseason game when he got a total of 10 plays in the fourth quarter against Tampa Bay.

McCown, for the record, is a great guy. He is a man of faith, a man of principle, a guy with a solid sense of humor as well as a very live, strong passing arm.

So I kidded with him a little bit. Nice preseason, I told him.

"Thanks I appreciate it," he said without missing a beat.

For the record, Dolphins coach Tony Sparano contends the team may keep four quarterbacks and that could be true. But that would make the Dolphins the exception among NFL teams. And with McCown being the only quarterback on Miami's roster who didn't play Thursday night and the quarterback who got the fewest snaps this preseason, it simply doesn't look good for him staying on the roster through the first week of the regular season.

"Probably not playing the last three weeks is not a good a sign," McCown admitted. "I haven't been in this situation ever, but I know the writing is on the wall usually when you don't play. But for right now, I'm here and I'm excited about being here. I believe in my abilities. I know that I can play. So I'll embrace my opportunities whether it is here or somewhere else. I'll be ready to roll."

I asked McCown if he has asked Sparano or the coaching staff about their plans and about his status. He has not.

"You try to do as much as you can do and everything else sorts itself out," he said. "Even if I were to ask, I don't know what kind of information they would give us. So I have no clue."

McCown feels a sense of helplessness about his status. It is a fair feeling for a player who finishes the preseason with 5 completions on 8 attempts for 35 yards without a TD or INT. His passer rating this preseason was 72.4.

Sparano would contend that McCown got a good shot to win the job in that he had nearly 500 throws during OTA days and early in training camp. But I would tell you that opportunity comes when players are still learning the offense during OTA days and as the offense is being installed early in camp.

It is hard for any QB to look sharp at that point.

"I mean, there's not a lot I can do about it," McCown said. "They make their decisions so I have to do my part. Obviously I would love to have more of an opportunity to play and compete. But it just didn't work out that way."